In 2014, Dutch goalkeeper Michel Vorm made the switch from South Wales to London to join Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham Hotspur for £3.5m.
The former Swansea City shot-stopper went on to make 48 appearances for The Lilywhites across two separate spells - the first lasting until the culmination of that memorable 2018/19 season, with the second lasting from October 2019 to July 2020.
Vorm, who was a reliable understudy to captain and legend Hugo Lloris, kept 17 clean sheets under the guidance of both Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho, was well-respected by fans, who acknowledged his commitment to the club as he returned for the second spell after leaving as a free agent the previous season. He joined as an emergency backup after Hugo Lloris dislocated his elbow in a 3-0 defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion.
His final appearance representing The Lilywhites came in March 2020 as he started an Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round tie against Norwich City, in which Mourinho's side suffered the agony of a penalty shootout defeat, which followed a 1-1 draw after extra time.
A runner-up in both the Carabao Cup and UEFA Champions League as a Spurs player, however, he never tasted silverware in his six-and-a-half-year stint with the club. Despite this, the goalkeeper was fond of his memories and offered VAVEL the chance to dive deeper to unlock those in an exclusive interview.
Favourite memory in N17
Vorm's stay in North London was during one of, if not the most successful time that Tottenham have had since the turn of the millennia, mainly down to the brilliance of Head Coach Pochettino to work under difficult circumstances.
“It’s a great football club, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the club," said the Dutchman.
He touched on the togetherness of their young group, which fielded the youngest average starting eleven the club has seen in the Premier League during the 2016/17 season, rather than focusing on things on the pitch. Despite reaching the last four, or going further, on five occasions, they tripped at the final hurdle.
"For me we had a top squad of players. Walker, Rose, Vertonghen, Toby [Alderweireld], Harry [Kane], Dele, Eriksen, Son joined as well. We are a great tight group and in terms of memory it was just being part of a very good team and winning games and the journey to the Champions League Final was great.”
That night in Amsterdam
The now 41-year-old was part of that magical night in his homeland in May 2019, as Tottenham did the impossible to come from 3-0 to beat Erik ten Hag's young stars of Ajax in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final tie.
Trailing 1-0 from the opening leg in N17, Spurs were stunned as the Dutch giants raced into an early three-goal aggregate lead at the Johan Cruyff ArenA. With the absence of Harry Kane, the visitors looked down and out, but for a heroic Lucas Moura hat-trick, including a 96th-minute winner, to send them to Madrid.
Vorm did play a part in the road to the final. He started the opening group game against Inter Milan as The Lilywhites lost 2-1 despite leading, with the Dutchman also replacing Heung-Min Son in the 81st minute after Hugo Lloris had been sent off against PSV Eindhoven.
He offered his thoughts on that miraculous night.
“That really summed it up for me. It was a pleasure and I was so proud to be part of that squad.
"We had a really good team and a group of players that were all in sync with each other. We communicated well as a team and had so much talent and quality. Not only the first XI, but most importantly, all the squad played a big part in that season and we had huge confidence in each other.”
Build up to the final
Having seen off de Godenzonen in the last four, Liverpool awaited Tottenham at the final hurdle. An almighty challenge was up ahead, but Pochettino's men were looking to become the first Spurs side to win the Champions League and the first side for the club to win a European trophy since 1984.
In recent months, former goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris revealed that Chairman Daniel Levy gifted the group luxury watches with 'Champions League Finalist 2019' engraved on the timepiece, just days before the Madrid showdown. The Frenchman fumed at the lack of ambition from Levy, stating that he "still hasn't got over it."
However, Vorm offered a very different explanation of the build-up to that special night.
“Not nerve-wracking, it was full of enjoyment and anticipation. We knew we had a good team, we had a lot of leaders, courage and fight and were never going to give up. We fought to the end, but Liverpool just had enough.”